The sky on
your birthday.
“NGC 253: The Sculptor Galaxy” is copyrighted by Angus Lau. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteThe Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253, is a spiral galaxy about ten million light-years away. It is one of the brightest and dustiest galaxies we can see, with a high rate of star formation. Caroline Herschel discovered it in 1783.
The Sun on 20 December 2011
NASA SDO took this picture on 20 December 2011, the day itself, not a release date.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
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Released on your day
Space pictures released on your month and day in other years, or a few days either side. Each one is sharp enough to print as a poster.
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The Sun on your day The Sun on 20 December 2011 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 20 December 2011 · Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2001 The Eagle's EGGs * See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2017 Widefield image of the sky around π1 Gruis See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2023 Dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 8091 (wide-field view) See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2018 Galaxy Cluster MACSJ0416 See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2018 Intracluster light in Abell S1063 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 20 DEC 2011 falls under Sagittarius (♐). The sign's window runs from 11-22 through 12-21. Sagittarius points straight at the center of the Milky Way, our galaxy's brightest region. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 20 DEC 2011.
Questions about December 20, 2011
What space photo was released on December 20, 2011?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 20, 2011 was "NGC 253: The Sculptor Galaxy". It's a photographer's copyrighted image, so we link to it on NASA's site and show the Sun or the Earth that day instead.
What was the Moon's phase on December 20, 2011?
A waning crescent moon, about 24% lit.
What day of the week was December 20, 2011?
December 20, 2011 was a Tuesday, day 354 of the 365 days in 2011.
Was there a meteor shower on December 20, 2011?
Yes: the Ursid shower, peaks in 2 days.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 20, 2011?
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the Sun that day, and NASA's Terra satellite photographed the whole Earth. Both are on this page, next to the card.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.